Yacht club dining room

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We will be taking our first cruise with MSC and will be in the yacht club. Do they have some sort of formal night on a 7 night cruise?  Will my husband be required to wear a jacket or will a dress shirt and tie suffice?  He doesn’t currently own a jacket that fits and refuses to buy one to wear once.  What do most men wear in the YC dining room other evenings?  I’m not worried about myself, but dh just likes to be comfortable. 
 

Are there any special events we need to plan for, such as a white party?

 

Any tips for a first timer?

[kernow]

Currently on Virtuosa in YC, last night was formal(they call it Elegant). At dinner men had everything from full dinner suits to polo shirts without a jacket. Don't worry about it too much. Other evenings it's mostly long or short sleeved shirts, no tie, as long as he looks tidyish he will be fine.

[mackfam]

No jacket required. They ask that men wear long pants in the dining room in the evening but that is often ignored. 
DH wears a shirt and tie on elegant night but there was a wide range of attire on our most recent YC sailing. As long as he’s not in a tank top and baseball cap he’ll be fine.

[MsTabbyKats]

Yacht Club dining room was completely unpretentious.  Come in whatever makes you happy.

(Side note: Whole YC experience was unpretentious)

[Georgia_Peaches]

DH wears linen resort pants and a button front collared shirt that usually has some sort of tropical vibe...when he's not wearing my face, that is. 😄  

[mscdivina2016]

3 hours ago, mackfam said:

No jacket required. They ask that men wear long pants in the dining room in the evening but that is often ignored. 

On Splendida 3 weeks ago, I got turned away with shorts on from the YC restaurant. That was on a regular night.

[Heartgrove]

7 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

On Splendida 3 weeks ago, I got turned away with shorts on from the YC restaurant. That was on a regular night.

 

Good. There should be some modicum of style.

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, Heartgrove said:

 

Good. There should be some modicum of style.

I agree.

 We just got back from an excursion and boarded the ship near the restaurant and it was about to close so I tried.

They sat my wife and I went to change. She ordered for me and it all worked out 😁

[jean87510]

8 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Yacht Club dining room was completely unpretentious.  Come in whatever makes you happy.

(Side note: Whole YC experience was unpretentious)

Thank God!!!  

[jame_g]

No tank tops or swim suits or "beachwear". They've never turned us away in shorts and polos.

[morpheusofthesea]

We would extend this to every meal when we cruise nowadays. "When you pay for a stay in a hotel, you also pay for the comfort, amenities, and services of a hotel, but it does not necessarily mean that you can do and act whatever you like and however you feel. There are hotel manners that you must take note of. Courtesy and respect beget the same, and knowing what to wear for breakfast in a hotel is a basic manner that makes a big difference. Most hotels establish a formality culture in dining for breakfast as a sign of respect and consideration for other guests and the staff. Unless your breakfast wear is as comparable to your smart-casual wear, that wouldn’t be a problem." https://thealcazar.com/what-to-wear-for-breakfast-in-a.../

   https://tableagent.com/article/dressing-to-dine-dress-codes-defined/  you can understand why dress codes are sometimes suggested by eateries of a certain merit: they wish for their guests to experience the world they have created. You can savor the luxury of top-notch service best when you too look and feel first-rate. The essence of fine dining wants to take patrons out of their ordinary lives, and for two hours, allow them to bask in the extraordinary experience of their choice. To truly be apart of such a supreme culinary happening—one must look the part and one must dress to dine.

   Not required BUT "Why you should always dress when you go out to eat. Yes, it still matters. By Sam Dangremond, Town & Country. John Winterman, who used to work for Daniel Boulud as maître d' at Daniel, and for Charlie Trotter before that, and asked if he thinks dressing up for dinner still matters."

"Absolutely," said Winterman, who's now managing partner at Batârd in New York City. "I break it down into self-respect and respect for others." Would someone's appearance affect the table they were assigned at, say, Daniel?

"On the record, yes," he said. "If someone comes in making an effort and looking fabulous and glamorous and they know they're in for a premium experience at a premium price, you give them a fabulous table in the middle of the room. And people react to that, when they see a crowd that's well-dressed and beautiful and sparkling."

Edited May 15, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[no1talks]

On the subject of dining room wear, MSC admits their own capriciousness with regard to dress restriction enforcement. The first sentence on the topic, as explained on their website, begins with, "Specific restrictions may [emphasis added] be enforced . . ."

Some skate by; others are called out on their clothing. 


 

[Nikita4]

In the US it's less formal than in Europe, also in the YC. Long Trousers and a Polo are fine in the US, in Europe they wear often a tie and more formal wear. We like to dress up, so for me the european MSC Cruises are more formal as the US Sailing.

[sbcs5390]

I did not bring a jacket this last cruise (Meraviglia, NYC, 4/22) and didn't feel out of place. Did polos and short sleeve tropical type shirts. 

[KennyFla]

23 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Yacht Club dining room was completely unpretentious.  Come in whatever makes you happy.

(Side note: Whole YC experience was unpretentious)

I think this is well put.  I think that YC is elegant, but unpretentious. 

[morpheusofthesea]

6 hours ago, Nikita4 said:

In the US it's less formal than in Europe, also in the YC. Long Trousers and a Polo are fine in the US, in Europe they wear often a tie and more formal wear. We like to dress up, so for me the european MSC Cruises are more formal as the US Sailing.

"But it's the Caribbean".. Those living south of our border take great offense of our north American attitude toward these nation states. I was confronted years ago with the statement that the people that live there do not live in the trees and dress in loin cloth. They too, have self respect and respect for others and dress when they venture out for dinner.

  A cruise is not a camping trip. Dressing for dinner is a case of self-respect and respect for others. Not dressing up is just the 'way' other countries wish to view the Americans as classless bumpkins.

  Personally we do not mind one way or the other. We find great service and appreciation from staff because we do dress for meals. We love the attention we get. It is so much easier not having any competition. As much as we would love to see no1talks on board, we would be hard pressed to compete with such a 'dapper' couple.

Edited May 15, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[go.without.you]

On 5/14/2023 at 6:58 AM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We will be taking our first cruise with MSC and will be in the yacht club. 

You were able to convince the husband to do the YC, great! I'm doing my first YC in November after several Retreat cruises.

[KennyFla]

29 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"But it's the Caribbean".. Those living south of our border take great offense of our north American attitude toward these nation states. I was confronted years ago with the statement that the people that live there do not live in the trees and dress in loin cloth. They too, have self respect and respect for others and dress when they venture out for dinner.

  A cruise is not a camping trip. Dressing for dinner is a case of self-respect and respect for others. Not dressing up is just the 'way' other countries wish to view the Americans as classless bumpkins.

  Personally we do not mind one way or the other. We find great service and appreciation from staff because we do dress for meals. We love the attention we get. It is so much easier not having any competition. As much as we would love to see no1talks on board, we would be hard pressed to compete with such a 'dapper' couple.

Not sure how not wearing a tie to dinner on a cruise ship is a slight to Caribbean nations.  Some people dress formally, great if that enhances your experience.  Some are casual. We are in between.   I'll take casual dress over rude behavior towards the wait staff.  And no, this is not addressed at anyone specific.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

25 minutes ago, go.without.you said:

You were able to convince the husband to do the YC, great! I'm doing my first YC in November after several Retreat cruises.

Fortunately, yes. We have the retreat booked for Europe next summer. 

[morpheusofthesea]

5 minutes ago, KennyFla said:

 I'll take casual dress over rude behavior towards the wait staff

Perhaps attire leads to rude behavior?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dress-for-success-how-clothes-influence-our-performance/

"What you wear can influence your thinking and negotiating skills, and even hormone levels and heart rate".

[KennyFla]

1 minute ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Perhaps attire leads to rude behavior?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dress-for-success-how-clothes-influence-our-performance/

"What you wear can influence your thinking and negotiating skills, and even hormone levels and heart rate".

Possibly.  I also believe that environment does.  There are a lot of comments about rude behavior outside of YC on short cruises.  The YC environment is quiet and laid back, and I think people act accordingly.  In the other areas if there is more of a party atmosphere, things are a little more lively.  

[morpheusofthesea]

20 minutes ago, KennyFla said:

There are a lot of comments about rude behavior outside of YC on short cruises. 

I know this would be anecdotal, but with all the videos filming this "rude" behavior were any of the "rude" wearing a tie ?

[hamrag]

On 5/14/2023 at 12:24 PM, mackfam said:

.....They ask that men wear long pants in the dining room in the evening but that is often ignored....

Not in my experience, long trousers are required at dinner.

[jules815]

On 5/14/2023 at 5:58 AM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We will be taking our first cruise with MSC and will be in the yacht club. Do they have some sort of formal night on a 7 night cruise?  Will my husband be required to wear a jacket or will a dress shirt and tie suffice?  He doesn’t currently own a jacket that fits and refuses to buy one to wear once.  What do most men wear in the YC dining room other evenings?  I’m not worried about myself, but dh just likes to be comfortable. 
 

Are there any special events we need to plan for, such as a white party?

 

Any tips for a first timer?

On our first YC cruise my husband brought his suit/tie. On our last YC cruise he brought khaki Dockers and a button down shirt, no tie, and he was perfectly fine. Most nights in the dining room he'd wear a polo and jeans. 

 

 

 

[mackfam]

3 hours ago, hamrag said:

Not in my experience, long trousers are required at dinner.

That’s what we were told on our cruise last November but it was not enforced. There were many men wearing shorts in the dining room in the evening albeit with nice shirts, but also one night a man in a wife beater, gym shorts and baseball cap was not turned away. 
 

DH and I enjoy having a reason to dress for dinner when we’re on vacation  though realize not everyone feels that way. If a man has a nice shirt on I don’t necessarily object to shorts as you don’t see them once someone is sitting down, but hats and gym attire belong in the buffet.